Lily's Outlaw (Once a Marine, Always a Marine Book 2) (11 page)

“Good Lord, that stretch top is getting a workout,” Lily said.

“Guess she’s the political fundraiser he was off to meet.”

Lily snorted. “Of course she is. Clearly, she needs funds for a decent college. That girl looks barely out of high school. But she fits his type. Too young, too blonde, and too stupid to realize that she’s being used.”

“If she doesn’t stop bouncing she’s going to be barely wearing that top.”

“Bet you’d love that.”

Jesse looked away from the couple and reached over to run his thumb across her lips before he cupped Lily’s chin. “That child over there does not compare to the woman sitting beside me. She is overblown in looks and figure and would have died of fright at anything you’ve been through. I’m not interested in anything she has. Not when I have perfection right here.”

Lily melted right then. His serious expression and the reverent way he touched her, convinced her that not every man out there was a womanizing pig. Jesse certainly wasn’t. He was nothing like her ex.

“I believe you.” And not only did she believe him, but she fell in love with him in that moment. Not the puppy-love she had when she was a child, but the real emotion. The burning need, the trust, and the utter conviction that he would be a faithful lover and companion. She just hoped they both survived all this so she could find out if he felt the same way.

Swallowing the lump in her throat she broke her gaze from his and lifted the binoculars again, hoping that she wasn’t about to see more than she wanted to and that the bouncing had stopped. And then she saw what the bouncing was all about.

“That son-of-a…”

“What?” Jesse turned and looked with her.

“I know why he was in my house, the lying, two-timing, louse.”

“What am I missing?”

He sounded genuinely confused but he was patient while she got herself under control. It took every ounce of dignity she had not to use actual curse words. A lady does not use vulgar words. And darn it, Lily was a lady.

“That blonde twit over there is wearing my engagement ring. The one I refused to give back to him in the divorce.”

“Why doesn’t he just buy her a new ring, then?”

“Because he doesn’t have the money.”

“Living beyond his means, huh?”

“Maxed out credit cards, fancy clothes, and cars. Robert likes the nicer things in life, but he doesn’t do much to earn them.”

Lily sat back, unable to watch the kissing and hugging any longer. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. This was going to give her a headache and she was fighting the urge to jump out of the minivan and stomp over there and give them both a piece of her mind.

His hand was warm as he slipped it into her clenched one. “Does the ring mean that much to you?”

The answer was complicated and didn’t make her feel good. But honestly, did she still care? “No, it doesn’t. Not in any meaningful way. It was more the principle of it. I mean, he was cheating on me and he had the nerve to ask for the ring back.”

Lily opened her eyes and stared at her ex and his new fiancée. And felt…nothing. Maybe a little leftover indignation that he broke into her house and stole the ring, but nothing else. Not with Jesse sitting next to her.

“I'll get it back for you if you want it.”

Jesse’s jaw was set and Lily had no doubt that he would. Just for her. And it might be nice to see Robert get a punch in the nose, but who would it hurt? That poor girl that was so happy, that’s who it would hurt. Lily didn’t have the heart to do that to her, not when Robert was likely to do it himself after a while.
 

“No. I don’t want it anymore.” She nodded to the perky blonde kid flashing Lily’s ring around showing it to the waiter and anyone willing to look. “She’s welcome to it, and to him. I doubt she’ll have any better luck than I did.”
 

“That’s my girl.” Jesse leaned over and kissed her softly. “Now that this mystery is solved, let’s move on to the next one on our list.”

Dropping the binoculars in her lap, she buckled up and as they pulled away from the curb, she let go of the past and put her ex and his betrayal firmly behind her forever. She was glad the ring was gone, as it was a disappointing reminder of one of the biggest mistakes of her life. And Jesse was right.

She was his girl now.

***

“Where are we headed now?” Lily asked.

“Back home to Sweet Hill. I think it’s time we had a heart to heart with your stepfather about what he’s involved in.”

Jesse wanted some answers and he wanted Lily safe. He could accomplish both by heading back to the little town that spawned them. One of his brothers-in-law was a former Army Ranger, which meant he was more than capable of keeping Lily safe while Jesse went about getting the information he needed. He’d rather one of his own men, but Brian was a good guy. And even though he wasn’t a Marine, Jesse considered him a friend.

“So what happens when we get there?”

“Lunch.”

Lily laughed and that's what he was hoping for. She’d been too quiet since they left the little scene with her ex at that pretentious French café. Jesse would have gladly retrieved that ring for her and given in to the urge to beat the hell out of her ex-husband. At the same time, he was grateful that she could walk away from it all. Because damn it, he wanted her to have his ring. Not some flashy showpiece, but something small and classy.

He mentally shook his head. If he wasn’t careful he’d become some sappy romantic. But did he care? He glanced over at his passenger. She watched the passing scenery engrossed in her own thoughts while they drove south from Dallas to Sweet Hill. She watched the scenery and he watched her. No, he didn’t care. Lily was the one. She was brave, smart, and sassy as hell. After all this time spent running away from marriage and being tied down, he was now yearning for just that. He blamed Zach. If his stone-faced friend hadn’t been so damned blissful in his own marriage, Jesse wouldn’t have begun to realize that something was missing from his own life.

“What happens if my stepfather won’t talk?”

Jesse shrugged. “Then I beat the answers out of him.”

Lily smiled. “I used to wish I was big enough to hit him. Then maybe he’d notice me or take some kind of interest in anything but my mother’s career. I’m a horrible person for thinking it.”

“You lost your dad young, Lil. It’s only natural that you’d want the only other father figure in your life to love you.”

She sighed softly and looked back out the window. “I would have settled for anything other than being ignored.”

“I’m sorry, honey. The men in your life have been nothing but a disappointment, including me.”

He saw more than heard her small laugh. Curled up in a ball, her shoulders slumped, she had her arms wrapped around her body as if to ward off all the bad that had been happening.

“Prom is supposed to be this big rite of passage, but all I could think was that I’d never get to dance with you. If you haven’t guessed by now, I had a bit of a crush.”

“When this is over, I promise to take you dancing. I’ll even spring for a corsage.”

She unfurled and turned toward him and he wished they were back in that beat-up old clunker in Mexico because it had a bench seat and he could have pulled her over next to him. Instead he reached out and took her warm hand into his, lacing their fingers.

“I think I might hold you to that, Jesse Calhoun.”

“Why, Ms. Richardson, it would be a pure honor to escort you out for an evening. And then you can have a sleepover at my house.”

“I can’t imagine a better night.”

“Well, until then, why don’t you get on the phone and find out where stepdaddy is at the moment.” He kissed the back of her hand and unlaced their fingers so she could use his phone.

“This time of day, he’ll be in his office at the store. But I’ll call his secretary and find out.”

“Good.”

“What do you think he’s involved in?”

Jesse could only think of one reason to be involved with an Army General and a drug cartel. “Illegal gun running would be my guess.”

“That was my guess too, but how are they doing it?”

“The General would have a connection with Army supply and is probably stealing the guns from different bases and having your stepfather ship them to the Huerta cartel. No one would be suspicious of a very successful man, who owns a chain of gun stores, shipping large amounts of weapons.”

“Because he could just say that he was shipping to another one of his stores.”

“Exactly.”

“Isn’t the military rigorous in their inspections? How are they stealing the guns?”

Jesse shrugged. “In some ways they are, but in others it’s like working for the largest company in the world. You steal a computer someone is going to notice. You steal a stapler, no one really cares.”

“Guns aren’t noticeable?”

“Not like a jet or a tank. And when there isn’t a war going on, those weapons get stored. Some get lost and never found, or found in a different warehouse in the wrong country because a lazy supply clerk put the wrong paperwork with the wrong crate.”

“So reallocating military weapons to a drug warlord would be a lucrative money maker for a sleazy General looking to pad his retirement?”

“Smart and beautiful. Marry me.”

“The rich girl and the maid’s son? What a scandal that would cause in our little community.”

“Yeah, but the hot sex on a nightly basis would be worth it.”

When she threw her head back and laughed, Jesse knew she thought he was joking. But he wasn’t. He wanted her in his life, not just in his bed. However, now wasn’t the right time. He’d let her know soon enough that he was dead serious about his feelings for her. And he’d be fine with throwing her across his shoulder, caveman style, and carting her home to Arizona with him. Forever.

“That sounds delicious.”

“Damn right. Besides, I’m all grown up, served my country, and have a thriving business. Even your mother would approve.”

“I don’t care if she approves or not. I think you’re an amazing man and that’s all that matters to me.”

“Well, my family already adores you and it will get my mother off my back.”

“Oh, I see, you want to marry me to stop your mother from nagging you.”
 

He liked the way her eyes crinkled in the corner when she smiled and the way she tossed her hair. If they hadn’t been sitting in a car, she would have had both hands on her hips as she tried to glare at him.

 
“You have to save me from buck-toothed Beatrice Jones.” He winked at her. “And my mother.”

She shook her head and wagged a finger at him. “That is a terrible proposal.”

“Even with all the sex thrown in?”

Her glare faded as she lowered her eyes and checked him out. Damn if that hot look didn’t make his body respond faster than an inflatable pool. He saw her nipples pucker under the shirt she wore and had to glance away before he wrecked the minivan and killed them both.

“I’ll do better next time. With the proposal, I mean.”

“Maybe I’d consider it then. As long as the sex is still thrown in.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The look in those dewy green eyes was as serious as his own. The words would come later, but it was enough to know that she was even jokingly considering it. And he would do better next time. Because deep down he was an old-fashioned guy. He’d get down on one knee with ring in hand and beg her to marry him.

He didn’t worry that she would say anything but “yes.” He was a Marine, and failure was not an option.

Chapter 11

Lily thought they would have checked into one of the hotels in Sweet Hill, but Jesse drove them fifteen miles south to his sister’s ranch. It was a ten-acre spread with a couple of cows, some milking goats, and chickens. They’d put their bags into the mother-in-law casita that sat about one hundred yards away from the main house. Jesse’s mother liked to stay there when she came to visit the family.

Brian, Jesse’s brother-in-law, was out working with the animals and Jesse was in the house talking with his sister. They’d had a nice lunch together, while the kids clamored for Uncle Jesse to show them some attention. They clearly adored their uncle.

Lily made her phone calls and found out that her stepfather had been holed up in his office since before the store opened. His secretary knew better than to disturb him when his door was closed so she hadn’t seen him all morning. He was there, she assured Lily, because his brand new BMW was parked in his spot.

“I’d like it if you stayed here while I go and talk to your stepfather.”

Lily spun from the window she’d been staring out of. “I want to be with you.”

Jesse shook his head and grabbed his bag. “I need you to be safe. We don’t know if he’s the one that ordered your kidnapping or if he simply told the cartel about the pictures. Either way, I want to see him alone.”

“Man to man?” She was about to argue more, but the look on his face told her that she was staying put, no matter what.

“Something like that.”